9. Perhaps the only possible experience of infinity for a finite being is what Gregory of Nyssa called an epektasis, a "drawing out toward." It is not an arriving at the infinite nor an unbounded state, but a progressive experience of the repeated transcendence of boundaries, including the re-experiencing of familiar things as new. This is not a religious experience in a narrowly defined sense though it certainly includes much religious experience. It also lies at the heart of erotic and sexual transcendence, which does not abolish the boundary between lovers, but grants to the lovers moments of unity, transcending rather than erasing their difference. And this is a transcendence that can continue to build on itself or deepen over time.